Pain, Blood, and Above All Love
by NonameCreature
Summary: Naruto finally develops feelings for Hinata, will their love survive the upcoming trials or will their love be destroyed by the Akatsuki? Also who are the two new strangers in town?
1. Chapter 1

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Note: Ok so this is my first fanfic and its about NaruHina . At first the title may not make much sense but as I get more into the chapters of this story it will start making sense. Also in this story I will introduce two new characters, of my creation of coarse, this story will revolve around these two and NaruHina so enjoy, hopefully.

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**Pain, Blood, and Above All Love**

**Chapter 1**

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After failing, once again, to bring back Sasuke, Team Kakashi has returned to Konoha.

Naruto was upset that he had failed again at keeping his promise to Sakura. The promise he made to bring Sasuke back, and after facing him a second time, it had become clear to him that he was too weak.

He was now determined to train harder to surpass Sasuke in terms of power, and so he sought out Kakashi's training, but he was unable to do so because of his injuries he suffered during the mission to rescue Gaara. Unwilling to train by himself, Naruto decides to calls it a day and returns home to sleep.

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The next day, Hinata heard news that Naruto had returned from his mission, and so she decided that it would be nice to welcome him back to Konoha.

After her morning routine, she made some riceballs made out to look like Naruto and began to make her way to Naruto's house. On her way to his apartment, Hinata tried to gather up as much courage as she could to face Naruto, especially after her embarrassing meeting last time.

When she finally arrived at Naruto's apartment door, she took one last deep breath before knocking. Two minutes passed with no answer, so she tried again. After a few more minutes of waiting, she began to grow impatient, but just as she was about to knock once more, the door flung open, revealing an exhausted-looking Naruto.

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After opening the door, Naruto tried to make out who in front of him. He had just woken up and his sight was blurry, so it was difficult to tell.

After rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his sight focused and he finally realized that it was Hinata standing on his doorstep. Though slightly surprised, he decided to greet her.

"Oh, hey Hinata." He said.

Hinata stared at him for a few seconds, before shrieking and covering her eyes in embarrassment. 

_N-Naruto-kun… in… his… oh my…_ She thought, her face burning red with embarrassment. She could hardly believe that she had just seen him in nothing but his boxers.

As usual, Naruto remained oblivious to what was happening.

"What's wrong Hinata?" He asked.

It was then that he realized that he didn't have his pants or his shirt on and quickly stumbled into his room to put them on. After a brief moment, Naruto returned to the door, dressed in his usual attire and grinned apologetically. 

"Eheh… sorry about that, Hinata."

Hinata shook her head.

"N-No… I-I should be the one apologizing, Naruto-kun… for waking you up…" She stammered.

"Don't worry about it. It was noon anyways and I should've been awake already." Naruto paused before adding, "So what did you want?" 

"W-Well…umm… I-I… I wanted to welcome you back… so I made you these…" Hinata handed Naruto the riceballs she had wrapped up for him.

Naruto blinked a few times before taking them.

"Thanks Hinata." He said, before untying the cloth.

He was surprised to find riceballs that seemed to resemble… well… _him_.

He grinned.

"Hey! I remember these!" He smiled at Hinata. "Thanks a lot, Hinata. It's real nice of you and all… but… I don't know how I'm going to eat these all by myself…"

"So… does that mean you don't want them?" asked Hinata, disappointed.

"Are you kidding? Of coarse I want them! How could I resist eating myself when I'm so delicious?"

Hinata blushed.

"Umm… Naruto-kun… I wanted to ask you if…" She began in a soft voice, but was interrupted by Naruto.

"Hey! I bet if I take some of these riceballs to Kakashi-sensei, he'll get better faster!" Naruto then proceeded to grab his apartment keys and make his way out of his home. He locked his door and turned back to face Hinata. "It was nice seeing you again, Hinata, but I'm going to take some of these to Kakashi, so I guess I'll see you later!"

With that, he began to run towards the direction of Konoha Hospital.

Hinata watched his retreating form and hung her head.

"Naruto-kun…"

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On his way to the hospital, Naruto met up with Sakura.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" He greeted with a grin.

"Hi Naruto…" Sakura muttered.

"Whats wrong?" Naruto asked, growing concerned for his teammate.

Sakura shook her head.

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Naruto." She assured him.

Naruto furrowed his brow.

"You were thinking about Sasuke again…weren't you?"

There was a slight pause before Sakura finally decided to answer.

"Yes."

Naruto sighed before grinning once again.

"Don't worry. Next time I see him, I will definitely bring him back! That's a promise of a lifetime!"

Sakura smiled weakly at Naruto before her gaze fell on the box in his hands.

"What's that in the box?" She asked.

"Oh… these are just riceballs Hinata made for me." He replied with a shrug.

Sakura took the box from him and opened them up. She raised an eyebrow and glanced at her blonde teammate.

"Uh… Naruto… why do these riceballs look like _you_?"

Naruto shrugged.

"How should I know? Hinata said she made them for me as a "Welcome Home" present. It seemed kind of weird to me… but they're really good!"

_'Honestly, Naruto… you're so dense… you're the ONLY one in Konoha who doesn't realize that Hinata likes you!_' Sakura thought, rolling her eyes.

"Naruto… you're such an idiot!" She scolded.

"What did you say?"

"I said you're an idiot!" She repeated, glaring venomously.

"What did I do this time?" He whined.

Sakura's eyes flashed dangerously. She was about to smack him upside the head, but maintained her composure and took a deep breath.

"Never mind." She said. "Just forget it."

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After a short walk, Naruto and Sakura finally arrived at the hospital and made their way towards Kakashi's room.

Upon entering, they noticed that Kakashi was awake and engaged in a conversation with Tsunade.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei! look what I brought you!" shouted Naruto.

"Hey there." Kakashi replied, lifting his hand and giving a small wave.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura greeted in a much quieter tone.

Kakashi nodded in her direction, indicating that he had heard her.

"Kakashi-sensei! You have to try some of these riceballs!" Naruto held the box of riceballs towards his sensei, who stared at it a few seconds before reaching over to grab one.

He stared at the riceball in his hand for a few minutes and arched an eyebrow at his blonde student.

"These riceballs look an awful lot like you, Naruto… did _you_ make them?"

Naruto laughed and shook his head.

"Nah! Hinata made then to welcome me back to Konoha."

Kakashi's visible eyebrow rose even more.

"So then… why give them to me? Aren't they special to you?"

"Special to me?" Naruto repeated. "What do you mean?"

Kakashi sighed.

_'It looks like even after all these years, Naruto STILL hasn't noticed that the Hyuuga girl likes him…'_

"Is there something wrong Kakashi-sensei?"

"Oh… it's nothing." Kakashi assured him, setting aside the box. "Hey… aren't you suppose to be training, Naruto?"

"Training by myself won't do any good. I want YOU to train me… so hurry up and get better!"

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After an hour or so of gossiping and jokes, Naruto and Sakura finally left the hospital. It was around that time that Naruto realized he had nothing to do, and so, he turned to Sakura.

"Hey Sakura-chan… do you want to go do something?"

"Like what?" asked Sakura.

"Well… something fun." Naruto replied.

Sakura thought for a few minutes before something clicked in her mind.

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot! We're supposed to meet everyone at Ino's house for dinner!"

"Everyone?" Naruto repeated.

"Yeah. I planned this a few days after you got back. We've all been really busy lately and haven't been able to hang out as much as we used to… I thought it would be fun."

"Really?" Naruto asked. When Sakura nodded, his eyes lit up. "That's awesome!"

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A few hours later, Sakura found herself making her way towards Ino's house with Naruto at her side.

When they finally arrived, Sakura knocked on the door three times.

She glanced over at Naruto, who was too busy staring at the sky to hear the whispers coming from behind Ino's door. Sakura stifled her laughter when she heard Ino hiss out a warning to everyone, telling them to take their places.

A few seconds later, the front door opened. Ino, her face a bit flushed, greeted the two and led them into her house, where they quickly slid off their sandals before being led to the living room, where, unbeknownst to Naruto, everyone was waiting.

Just as Naruto reached over to slide open the sliding door, on the other side, Hinata managed to slide it open first, causing Naruto to stumble head first into the room. He found his face smothered between something soft as he hit the floor, and being rather intrigued by the object's softness and unique smell, decided to bury his face further into it.

Everyone in the room watched in amusement (or disgust and anger, in Kiba, Shino and Neji's cases) as Hinata's face burned a deep shade of red as Naruto continued bury his face between her breasts. Her breath hitched, and finally… she screamed.

Once Naruto heard the scream, he came back to his senses and lifted his head. Hinata, still wailing in embarrassment, pushed Naruto off her petite form and crawled backwards, trying desperately to get as far away from him as possible.

There was an awkward silence as Naruto rose to his feet.

"Err… sorry about that…" He apologized, sweat-dropping.

_'Idiot.'_ Was the only word that rang through everyone's minds, before Ino suggested that they should get the party started.

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Meanwhile, at the Hokage's office, Tsunade had been receiving some very interesting reports that concerned her a great deal.

According to the reports, some of the Akatsuki members had been spotted near Konoha. Now Tsunade had been carefully considering all her options, but no matter how many times she came up with a solution, she just simply didn't have enough Shinobi to defend Konoha.

While Tsunade continued to contemplate, she was interrupted when the door slammed open, revealing her apprentice, Shizune.

"Tsunade-sama! The council is growing impatient. They want an answer! What are we going to do about Akatsuki?"

Tsunade sighed loudly and turned to face the dark-haired woman.

"Our current situation only leaves us with one choice."

"What is it, Tsunade-sama?"

"Shizune… do you know when _they_ should be arriving?"

"_They_ should be here tomorrow morning."

"Very well. It looks like we have no other choice but to wait until tomorrow to decide upon a plan to deal with the Akatsuki."

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	2. Chapter 2

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Note: In this chapter two new character will be introduced. During this chapter there won't be much NaruHina interactions because this chapter will focus on the new character as they are important to my story, so be assured that later there will be plenty NaruHina in the story for you NaruHina fans.

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**Pain, Blood, and Above All Love**

**Chapter 2**

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The sun had just risen over the village of Konoha.

In the horizon, two mysterious figures were approaching Konoha. The two Chuunin who stood guard at the gates of Konoha noticed and stood tall.

One was a seemingly well-built young man and the other was a young woman. As they neared the gates, one of the guards stepped forward and motioned for them to stop.

"Halt!" He ordered, and the two came to an abrupt stop. "What business do you have in Konoha?"

The woman stared blankly at him before glancing up at the man, who nodded. She took out a scroll and handed it to the guard.

"We were summoned here by the Godaime Hokage." She explained, as the guard scanned the scroll.

He nodded and handed it back to her, before motioning to the second Chuunin that it was okay to let them in. The other Chuunin nodded and opened the gates, while the first one turned back to face the man and woman.

"Very well. Follow me." He said, "I'll escort the two of you to the Hokage."

With that, he turned around and began to make his way into the village. The man and woman followed closely behind.

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Shizune met up with them when they reached the Hokage's Tower. She smiled kindly at the Chuunin.

"Are these the ones?" She asked.

The Chuunin nodded. "Yes."

"Very well. You've done your job. You may go now, Hachiro."

The Chuunin nodded and made a few hand seals before disappearing.

Shizune smiled before turning to face the remaining man and woman.

"Follow me." She said, motioning them to follow her.

It took them about fifteen minutes to finally reach the Hokage's office. Shizune paused and turned to face them.

"Wait here. I have to inform the Hokage that you've arrived." She said, and with that, she entered the office and closed the door behind her. "Tsunade-sama, the two you have been expecting have arrived."

Tsunade didn't move. In fact, she didn't even turn to look at her. Instead, she continued to stare out the window.

"Tsunade-sama?" She repeated, making her way towards the blonde woman.

That's when Tsunade's head fell off her shoulders. Shizune was about to scream, but paused when she noticed something. She turned the chair around, and frowned deeply when she realized that it was just a dummy. She had been talking to a dummy!

Furious, Shizune stormed out of the office in search for the blonde Sannin. She was about to turn the corner, but paused when she realized that she had left the man and woman standing in the hallway, both looking rather confused. She sighed and turned around. The man raised an eyebrow at her.

"Is the Hokage going to see us now?" He asked, his voice laced with annoyance.

Shizune smiled weakly and took a few steps back.

"Well... you see... the Hokage doesn't seem to be in her office at the moment..." She said, growing rather frightened under the man's intimidating stare. She cleared her throat and smiled weakly. "Okay... well... let's see... umm... since the Hokage isn't here at the moment, why don't you two go outside and get to know Konoha? See the sights, try the food... Konoha's famous for it's food... and... umm... when the Hokage is ready, I'll inform you. Sound like a plan?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea." The woman replied, smiling cheerfully.

"What?" The man snarled, clearly not amused. "This is ridiculous! We'rre here on important business, not a fieldtri -" He stopped when the woman elbowed him in the ribs.

"Ignore him. He's just a bit moody today." The woman said. "In the meantime, we'll just explore the village."

Shizune smiled at her before running off to go find Tsunade.

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By the time noon rolled over, the village was buzzing around with activity.

At _Yamanaka Flowers_, it was especially busy. Ino and Sakura served customers as they came and went, until finally, after about an hour or so, the shop was finally empty.

Ino smiled and leaned against the the counter, turning to face Sakura.

"So, Forehead... what's new?" She asked, blowing a stand of blonde hair out of her eyes.

"Nothing." The medic nin replied softly, before running her fingers through her hair. "I think I might die in this heat, though."

"Tell me about it." Ino muttered, fanning herself with her hand.

The two girls stopped talking once the store bells chimed, signaling more customers.

A young couple entered the shop. The man was undoubtedly handsome, very well-built and had short dark hair, while the woman had shoulder-length hair and a body that both Sakura and Ino would _die_ for.

"What do I have to eat to get a body like _that_?" Ino hissed at Sakura, who stifled her laughter and nodded in agreement.

The blonde observed the couple closlely and bit down on her lip. There was something very familiar about the woman, she thought, before her gaze landed on the forehead protecter wrapped around the woman's shoulder.

She smiled brightly.

"Hi there! Welcome to _Yamanaka Flowers_! How may we help you?" She asked.

Sakura cringed. She hated it when Ino tried to sound so sickenly sweet around customers.

"We're just browsing." The woman replied.

Ino nodded.

"I can tell from your forehead protectors that you aren't from around here... may I ask where you guys are from?" She asked.

"Sorry... we can't tell you that." The woman said.

"Why not?" Ino pouted.

"We're not obligated to do so." The woman replied.

"Oh... okay... well... can you at least tell us your names?"

"My name is Harumi. This is my brother, Satoshi."

_So they are brother and sister..._ Ino thought. _Looks like this guy might be single after all!_

"Well... since you two are new around here... would you care for some tea? We could get to know each other better."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Harumi replied, her eyes lighting up immediately.

"Harumi!" Satoshi began in a warning tone. "This isn't a fieldtrip!"

"Shut up, Satoshi..." Harumi said, rolling her eyes, before grinning at Ino. "Don't mind him. We'd _love_ to have some tea."

"That's great!" Ino replied, before glancing at Sakura. "Hey Sakura! Are you coming?"

Sakura frowned at her.

"Ino..." She said, "If we leave... who's going to watch the shop?"

Ino waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it. My mom will."

Sakura bit her lip. For a few seconds, she debated on whether to go with Ino and the two foreigners, or stay at the shop. Finally, she came to her decision.

"Okay. Let's go."

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Naruto, unable to train on his own, walked around town in search for something to do. As he turned a corner, he caught sight of of his pink-haired teammate, who appeared to be having tea with Ino. Grinning from ear-to-ear, he raced down and barged into the shop.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" He bellowed, interrupting the conversation she was having with Ino and two other people.

Sakura fumed.

"NARUTO!" She screeched, raising her fist. "Haven't you ever heard of _manners_? I was in the middle of a conversation, you moron!"

Naruto cowered beneath Sakura's wrath for a few seconds, before he noticed the two figures sitting across from them.

"Hey... who is the hot chick?"

Satoshi's eyes twitched in anger.

"That _"hot chick"_, as you so blatantly put it, is my sister." He growled.

Naruto didn't seem all that threatened by the tone of Satoshi's voice.

"Is this the idiot you were talking about Sakura?"

"Are you calling me an idiot?" Naruto yelled.

"Well do you see any other idiot around here?" Satoshi challenged, smirking.

"Naruto!" Sakura warned.

"Why you!"

Naruto threw a punch and hit Satoshi square in the mouth. By this point, Satoshi was fuming, and grabbed Naruto by the arm and threw him outside. Naruto crashed into a brick wall, but quickly recovered and performed his _"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu"_, and him and his army of clones prepared to attack Satoshi, but Satoshi easily took out the clones without breaking a sweat, with nothing but Taijutsu.

_Wow this guy is almost as quick a fussy-brows_ He thought.

With a sweeping kick, Satoshi had Naruto on his back. He was about to throw one last punch at the blonde idiot, but was stopped when a pair of small hands grasped his wrist. Satoshi turned, and for a minute, he could've sworn that it was Harumi.

"Harumi?" He murmured, but upon closer inspection, he realized that it wasn't his sister.

"Please... don't hurt Naruto-kun..." The girl begged, her voice barely above a whisper.

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Meanwhile, Shizune continued her search for Tsunade. Her first thought was to search all of the bars in Konoha, and so she went to each and everyone one of them.

After searching bar after bar without any success, she began thinking of the other possible places her teacher could be. Just as she emerged from the last bar, she noticed Tsunade right across the street, gambling on slot machines.

"Tsunade-sama! Just what do you think you are doing?" She scolded, storming over to the blonde woman.

"Shizune!" Tsunade whirled around. "What are you doing here?"

"You told me you were going to quit gambling once you became Hokage!" Shizune snapped, planting her hands firmly on her hips.

"What can I say?" Tsunade muttered. "Old habits die hard..."

"You were supposed to be in the office working!"

"Well, I got bored and decided to get rid of some stress!"

"Don't you remember that we were expecting those two arrive today? You were supposed to be in your office when they got here!"

"You mean they're already here?" asked Tsunade, taking a sip from her bottle of Sake.

"Yes! They got here hours ago!" Shizune cried.

"Well... why didn't you say so? Lets go back to the office."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

_Now that they're here, we can finally decide how we're going to deal with the Akatsuki..._

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	3. Chapter 3

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Note: Well here is the next chapter. I know there hasn't been mush action in the story but we will get to that part soon enough so just enjoy this chapter. So yeah not much to say, other than I'm planing on making the next chaptesr after this one much longer.

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**Pain, Blood, and Above All Love**

**Chapter 3**  
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After a brief argument back at the slot machines, Tsunade and Shizune made their way back to the office.

Once they arrived at the office, Tsunade noticed that there was no one in the waiting area. She frowned and placed a hand on her hips.

_Did Shizune just lie about them being here just to get me back to work?_ She thought, eying her apprentice suspiciously.

"I thought you said they got here hours ago..." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"They did!" Shizune cried. "They should've been waiting here when we got back!" There was a pregnant pause, and the dark-haired woman suddenly smiled nervously, "Wait... oh dear..."

Tsunade's eyes flashed. 

"_What_?" She snapped.

"Umm... well... you see... before I went to search for you... I suggested that they should get familiar with Konoha... so..." She trailed off and gave a nervous laugh, "Well, they could be anywhere at this point!" She laughed some more.

Tsunade was not amused.

"Shizune."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?"

"Find them. Bring them back here." The older woman demanded. "I'll be waiting in my office."

Shizune nodded. "Yes, Tsunade-sama."

With that, she turned and began to make her way down the hall and out of the building.

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Back at the tea shop, the fight between Naruto and Satoshi had been interrupted when a girl, resembling Harumi, prevented Satoshi from hurting Naruto. Surprised to see the girl holding back his hand, Satoshi froze and let his arm fall limp at his side.

"Why did you stop me?" He asked.

"I can't bare to see Naruto-kun get hurt..." The girl whispered, lowering her gaze.

"So... you know this idiot?" Satoshi snarled.

Naruto rose to his feet and glanced at the girl who had stopped Satoshi from hurting him. Shinobi turned his attention back to Naruto, but when Harumi walked over, he lowered his fist once more. He narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"We aren't supposed to be attracting attention." His sister reminded him. "Now stop this nonsense before I'm forced to interfere." She turned to face the other girl and smiled warmly. "If you don't mind me asking... what is your name?"

The girl's pale eyes went wide and darted from side to side, as if unsure of what to do.

"M-my... my name?" She stammered.

Harumi nodded, and the girl began to fidget.

"It's... it's Hinata..." She finally answered.

Harumi smiled.

"Hinata, huh?" She repeated. When the dark-haired girl nodded, she grinned. "Well then, Hinata... it's nice to meet you."

She turned her attention back to her brother, who was glaring at Hinata. Everyone within five feet was also staring.  
Hinata squeezed her eyes shut. She hated when everyone's attention was focused on her.

Harumi narrowed her eyes. _Why is everyone staring at us?_

"Take a picture! It'll last longer!" She snapped, and everyone went back to their business - save for Ino, the loud blonde boy, Sakura and her brother. "Honestly, _what_ is it? Do I have something on my face?"

"You... you look almost exactly like her!" Satoshi gaped, pointing an accusing finger at Hinata, who was completely flustered by this point and looked as if she were about to pass out.

Harumi furrowed her brow and took out a mirror. She glanced from her own reflection to Hinata, and repeated this motion until she finally saw the resemblance. Putting the mirror away, she couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, would you look at that." She announced, placing a hand on her hip. "We really _do_ look alike."

Hinata looked up.

"We do?" She asked, but before anyone could answer, Shizune entered the tea shop with her arms folded across her chest. Her onyx gaze landed on Harumi and Satoshi.

"There you are!" She all but cried out in relief, unfolding her arms. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Have you found the Hokage?" asked Satoshi.

"Yes." Shizune replied, "She requested your presence immediately," she paused before adding, "She's waiting in her office."

"Very well." Satoshi stood up and began following the dark-haired woman back to the tower.

Harumi stopped to smile over at Hinata, before following her brother and Shizune.

Ino sighed and stood up.

"Come on, Sakura," she said, "We'd better head back to the shop and finish up." She glanced over at Naruto and Hinata, "See you later, you two!" With that, she and Sakura turned and left, leaving Naruto and Hinata standing alone in the tea shop.

An awkward silence dawned on the two teenagers. Naruto was the first to break it.

"Hinata," he began, glancing over at the pale-eyed girl, who flushed and clenched her small fists together, before glancing up.

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun?" She whispered, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You didn't have to do that." Naruto murmured, narrowing his blue eyes and staring intently at the small tea table in front of them.

"D-Do w-what, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto looked up. His brow furrowed.

"Intervene." He said. "You could've gotten hurt."

Hinata's eyes widened. She glanced up in surprise.

"B-But Naruto-kun!" She protested, biting her lip. "I-If I didn't... then... then you would've gotten hurt..." She closed her eyes, trying to prevent any tears from escaping. "I... I can't bare to see you get h-hurt... N-Naruto-kun..."

Naruto closed his eyes.

"I suppose..." he began, causing Hinata to re-open her own eyes and direct her attention back to him, "I suppose... I should be thanking you, then..." He scratched the back of his neck and grinned. "Hey, I have an idea... how 'bout you join me for some ramen? My treat."

Hinata's face burned a deep shade of red.

"R-Really?" She stammered.

Naruto nodded.

"Sure, why not?" He asked. "It's the least I can do."

Hinata nodded, completely at loss for words.

"O-Of course... Na-Naruto-kun..."

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At the Hokage's Tower, Shizune, accompanied by Satoshi and Harumi, had just arrived. They were led down to the office by two Chuunin. Shizune raised her hand and gave the mahogany doors two gentle taps.

"Tsunade-sama," she announced, "They're here."

"Let them in."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

With that, Shizune pushed open one of the two doors and allowed Harumi and Satoshi to enter. When the door closed behind them, Tsunade turned from the window to face her guests.

"I apologize for the inconvenience earlier," she began, "Welcome to Konoha." Suddenly, her expression became serious. "I assume you two have been given a briefing on the situation?"

Satoshi and Harumi exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Actually, Hokage-sama... we haven't." Harumi answered. "We were told that _you_ were going to inform us."

"Hmm... very well," Tsunade nodded, taking out a stack of paper and shuffling through them, before finally selecting two sheets and handing one of each to the siblings, "As of recently, we've received numerous reports of the Akatsuki being spotted near Konoha."

Satoshi's eyes scanned the sheet. His brows knitted together and he frowned, before looking back up.

"So... you want us to track them down?" He asked.

"Yes." Tsunade nodded, "Precisely. We need your help to drive them away... perhaps even eliminate them altogether..."

Satoshi's gaze darkened.

"Couldn't you just have your ANBU squad do that?" He asked.

"We already tried that." Tsunade told him. "Unfortunately, they couldn't hold their own against them." She looked up. "You _have_ heard of the Akatsuki, correct?"

"Hai." Harumi and Satoshi replied in unison.

"Then you're aware of how powerful they are... correct?" Tsunade continued.

"Hai."

"Then you understand why we need your help, correct?" Tsunade said, "Konoha _is_ a powerful nation... however... the Akatsuki is just as powerful... possibly even more-so... and they're ruthless and unforgiving... they slaughter innocent children without feeling any remorse or pity... all for the sake of power..." Tsunade trailed off, closing her eyes to think. "We need our best Shinobi _here_ in order to defend Konoha... in case the Akatsuki were to try and invade Konoha... this is where you two come in."

"I see..." said Satoshi, nodding. "Seeing as how our nations are allies, my sister and I accept this mission. Do you know where the Akatsuki's whereabouts are?"

"Unfortunately, no," Tsunade sighed, shaking her head. "Though... we do have a lead."

"And what would that be?" Satoshi asked, frowning.

"The Akatsuki are here for one sole purpose," said Tsunade.

"And that being?" asked Harumi.

"To capture the Kyuubi."

Satoshi's frown deepened.

"And where is this so-called 'Kyuubi'?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Sealed inside a local village boy." Tsunade answered. "That paper your holding explains everything you need to know."

"Except..." Harumi interrupted, "_Who_ the village boy is..."

"In most cases, it's forbidden to say, much less... talk about." Tsunade rubbed her temples. "However... if it will help... Kyuubi is currently sealed inside a boy named Naruto Uzumaki."

"_Naruto_?" Satoshi snarled.

Tsunade couldn't help but smirk.

"I assume you've met him?"

Harumi sweat-dropped.

"Let's just say... their first encounter didn't really leave them having high opinions of each other..." She said.

Tsunade laughed.

"Yes... that doesn't surprise me..." She said, still smiling. "Though, he does surprise you. In the end, I'm sure you'll learn to respect each other."

Satoshi rolled his eyes.

"I highly doubt it." He said.

Tsunade clasped her hands together. "Anyways... I've arranged a place for you to stay during your time in Konoha." She said, "Your mission is to keep an eye on Naruto, find out any information you can on the Akatsuki and their whereabouts... and eliminate them. Understood?"

"Hai." The siblings replied, before turning around and exiting the office.

Shizune watched their retreating forms before turning to face Tsunade.

"Do you think they'll be up to the challenge?" She asked. "I mean... like you said... the Akatsuki are a very powerful organization..."

"Don't worry," Tsunade assured her, "If their nation has so much faith in them... we should too."

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Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata were at _Ichiraku Ramen_. Ayame placed a bowl of ramen in front of each of them and smiled, and as usual, Naruto began devouring it as though it were his last day on earth. Hinata stayed quiet and barely touched her ramen. Naruto stopped and glanced over at her.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" He asked. "You haven't touched your ramen... don't you like ramen?"

Hinata looked up.

"I..." She began, "Well... it's just... umm..."

"OH! I get it it!" Naruto interrupted. "You're on a diet, aren't you?" He sighed and shook his head. "I'll never understand girls... always trying to look their best..." He glanced over at her. "Though... I don't think _you_ have anything to worry about... you probably have the best body compared to all the other girls in Konoha..."

Hinata could've died on the spot.

_D-Did... Naruto-kun just compliment my body...?_ She thought, as her face burned a deep shade of scarlet.

"Hey Hinata... if you're not going to eat the rest of your ramen... can I have it?"

"U-Umm... I... I guess so..." She stammered, nodding.

Naruto grinned and reached over, bringing her bowl of ramen closer to him. In less than five minutes, Naruto had already finished. He slapped down some change on the counter and bid goodbye to Ayame and her father, before turning around and walking into the street. Hinata followed closely behind.

They walked in silence for a while until Naruto turned to face her.

"Well... it's getting late..." He said, "You should probably be getting home soon... so I guess... I'll see you later..." He said, scratching the back of his neck.

Hinata nodded.

"Yes... I-I guess so..." She said. "G-Goodnight, N-Naruto-kun..."

With that, she turned and began heading in the opposite direction. Just as she turned a corner and entered a dark alley, a figure emerged from the shadows and grasped her shoulder, but before Hinata could scream, she was turned around. She relaxed when she recognized who was standing in front of her.

"Hey there." Harumi greeted, grinning from ear-to-ear.

Hinata blinked.

"Aren't you the girl from the tea shop?" She asked.

"Indeed." Harumi nodded. "Though... I don't think I properly introduced myself." She stuck out her hand. "I'm Harumi."

"I-It's nice to meet you...Harumi-san..." Hinata told her, "B-But... what do you want?"

"I was just cruising around the village when I spotted you with that blonde kid..." Harumi smirked. "You _like_ him, don't you?"

"N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata stammered, "N-No... we're just..." She trailed off.

What _were_ they, exactly? Certainly not a couple... Naruto would _never_ go out with a girl like _her_... perhaps friends? Hinata didn't know... _she_ wouldn't mind if they were friends... but... did Naruto think so?

"Just what?" Harumi countered. "_Friends_?"

Hinata blinked.

Harumi sighed and placed her hands on her hips.

"That's the oldest excuse in the book." She sighed, tapping her foot against the pavement. "Let me guess... _you_ wish you guys could be more but you're too afraid that he'll reject you?" When Hinata didn't answer, Harumi continued. "Girl, if you don't say something _soon_, it'll be too late. Trust me on this. I haven't even known the kid for a day, but I can already tell he's as dumb as a log... when it comes to relationships, anyways. By the time he figures out you have feelings for him..." She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. It'll be too late anyways."

There was a glint in Harumi's eyes.

"Listen," she continued, "The only way that boy is ever going to notice you is if YOU make the first move."

"W-What?" Hinata squeaked. "B-But... no! I-I can't!"

"You CAN and you WILL." Harumi told her. "_I'm_ going to help you."

"W-What?" stammered Hinata. "B-But why? W-Why would you help _me_? Y-You... you don't even know me..."

"I love playing Match-Maker!" Harumi replied, grinning. "Besides... you two would make a damn cute couple..."

Hinata's face flushed.

_Me and Naruto... a couple?_

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	4. Chapter 4

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Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Author's Note: .Well here is chapter 4. I said this chapter would be much longer but it seems that me and the person who does the beta have been busy because of school, so this chapter may fell a bit rushed and short. But don't worry I will make the next chapter better, so enjoy.

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**Pain, Blood, and Above All Love**

**Chapter 4**

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After her encounter with Hinata, Harumi made her way back to the Inn that she and Satoshi were staying at during their time in Konoha. As soon as she stepped into the hotel room, she was confronted by her brother.

"Where did you go?"

"Not that it's any of your business... but I went for a walk." Harumi answered, making her way across the room and over to her bed, where she sat on the edge and placed one leg over the other. She grinned. "I guess we should rest up for tomorrow, eh?"

Satoshi didn't reply. Instead, he climbed into his bed and fell asleep. After about five minutes of silence, Harumi proceeded to change into her pajamas and climb into her warm blanket, before allowing blissful dreams to consume her.

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The next morning, Harumi awoke to the feel of the sun's bright rays drifting across her eyelids. She squinted and squirmed uncomfortably, before sitting up and rubbing her eyes. Yawning loudly, she cast a lazy glance over at her brother's bed, only to find it empty. She frowned when she spotted a note on the bedside table, and picked it up.

_Harumi -_

You sleep like the dead.

I went to search for for the Akatsuki's possible whereabouts on the outskirts of Konoha. Do me a favor and DON'T follow me. Got it?

In the meantime, I want you to keep an eye on Uzumaki.

I'll probably be back around 7:00 PM.

- Satoshi

Harumi growled under her breath and clenched the note tightly in her hand.

"That bastard really left without me?" She hissed under her breath. "I can't believe it! That son of a bitch! He is _so_ dead!"

She sighed, taking a deep breath, before making her way into the bathroom.

_Well,_ She thought, turning on the shower. _Nothing I can do now..._

After taking a long shower and washing her hair, Harumi stepped out of the tub and wrapped a white towel around herself. She made her way back into her room and quickly changed into her normal clothes, before pulling her hair back into a sloppy ponytail and observing her appearance in the mirror.

_I know I'm supposed to listen to Satoshi..._ She thought, as she began applying some eyeliner_. But today's SUCH a nice day... it would be a shame to let it go to waste... _She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. _Perhaps there's a way I can keep an eye on Naruto and enjoy myself at the same time..._

After finishing applying her make-up, Harumi checked herself one last time before making her way out of the Inn. She began to wander the streets, contemplating on whether she should listen to her brother's orders or not. Just as she turned a corner, she spotted Ino and Hinata.

"Oh, hey Harumi!" Ino greeted, waving and motioning Harumi over.

"Hey..." Harumi greeted, smiling weakly.

"So, you're still in town?" asked Ino.

"There's some business that my brother and I have to take care of in Konoha... so we'll be here for a while." Harumi explained.

"I see..." Ino nodded, "Well, Hinata and I just got done with some deliveries and are heading back to the shop. Wanna join? We're just gonna hang for a while... since neither of us has any missions..."

Harumi hesitated.

"I don't know..." She said, "I'm actually supposed to be doing something important right now..."

"Come on!" Ino persisted, tugging on her sleeve. "We didn't get to finish our chat last time! Besides, we HAVE to get back soon... or else Naruto will annoy Sakura to death..."

Harumi thought for a minute.

_Well... if Naruto's there... then... I guess it would be okay... I mean, considering it IS my job to keep an eye on him..._

She smiled at the two girls in front of her.

"Very well. I see no harm in that." She replied, and with that, the three girls made their way back to _Yamanaka Flowers_.

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Meanwhile, Satoshi searched high and low for the Akatsuki's hideout. After wandering aimlessly for three hours without any luck, he finally came across a cave. Coming to an abrupt halt, he closed his eyes and listened to his surroundings. He could feel two presences - they'd been following him for a few hours now, but he managed to play it cool and act like he didn't notice them.

He searched the gave a few times, but found nothing. Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, he made his way out of the gave and back into the forest. He frowned when he could still feel the presences, and finally sighed in irritation.

"Show yourselves." He demanded. "I know you're there. I'm not stupid."

The bushes rustled.

"Very well."

Two figures emerged and faced Satoshi.

Satoshi glared venomously.

"So," he said, "Are you two part of the Akatsuki?"

One Shinobi glared back.

"Not yet." He said, "But you can bet we _will_ be! Especially after we capture the Kyuubi brat." He smirked. "Though it seems like we'll have to kill YOU first."

Satoshi reached for his shuriken pouch.

"That's right." He said.

"This should be easy, then." A voice muttered from behind, and Satoshi whirled around, only to come face-to-face with the other Shinobi.

He threw two kunai, but Satoshi blocked them with his forearm, before pulling out a pair of shuriken and throwing them at the Shinobi. The shuriken struck him square in the chest. Satoshi frowned when the Shinobi merely "poofed" into smoke, before revealing a log.

_Kawarimi no Jutsu…_ He thought. _The Replacement jutsu._

He turned to the first Shinobi, expecting him to attack, but the opposing nin merely grinned wickedly. Satoshi frowned. He didn't like that look.

"What the hell are you waiting for?" He snapped.

The other Shinobi's grin grew wider.

"You fool." He cackled. "Those kunai were poisonous."

Satoshi's eyes went wide.

"What did you say?" He shouted.

The other nin's grin morphed into one of a homicidal maniac.

"You heard me. They're poisonous." He told him. "Soon, your body will experience excruciating pain, making you unable to move, and then you'll start to hallucinate. I don't need to say more… I'm sure you already know what happens…"

Satoshi growled under his breath and leapt into the air. He drew his fist back and then thrust forward, aiming for the opposing nin's face, but the other Shinobi was faster. He stepped out of the way, and Satoshi missed, but instead, he hit the ground, leaving a large crate in its place.

The Shinobi's eyes went wide.

"What?" He yelled. "How are you able to move? You should be in pain!"

"Pain slows you down in battle. My mind has been trained to simply ignore it." Satoshi explained. "While my body might be in pain, my mind won't perceive it. I guess you could say that I'm immune to it."

The second Shinobi lunged at Satoshi from behind, his katana drawn, but Satoshi was barely fazed by the assault. Instead, he grasped the blade with his hand and snapped it in half, before grabbing the Shinobi by the collar of his shirt and slamming him against a tree.

In that moment, the other Shinobi, who was observing from a few feet away, rolled up the sleeve of his shirt, revealing a metallic arm, which appeared to have electricity flowing through it. He aimed it at Satoshi, charging up more and more electricity with each passing second, before lunging at the Leaf ally.

Satoshi quickly jumped out of the way, causing the Shinobi's arm to make contact with the ground instead, and once it did that, the ground began to serve as a conductor, allowing the electricity to spread outward. Finally, it reached Satoshi, who fell to the ground, temporarily numb. Seeing that Satoshi was unable to move, the Shinobi on the ground used this to his advantage. He sat up and rolled up his own sleeve, revealing his own metallic arm.

He crawled over to Satoshi and held him from behind.

"Do it now, brother!" He shouted to the other Shinobi.

The second brother positioned himself in front of Satoshi, while the first one alighted beside him. Soon, both of them were charging electricity. The electricity flowed back and forth between them, before they aimed it at Satoshi. Satoshi cried out, before his body went numb once again. He tried to move, but was unable to. One of the brothers stopped the flow of electicity and pinned Satoshi to the ground. He took out a kunai and held it against his throat, all the while grinning like a madman.

"Well, well... it looks like this is the end of the road for you. Any last words? No? Cat got your tongue?" He laughed. "Ooh, I should write that one down..." He chuckled once more, before smirking down at Satoshi. "I bet you're just _dying_ to know what we're going to do to Konoha, aren't you? I see no harm in telling you... since... well... who are you going to tell when you're DEAD? After we're through with you, we're going to wreak havoc on that pathetic village and capture the Kyuubi brat. And guess what?" He leaned close to Satoshi's ear. "There's NOTHING that _you_ can do about it."

With that, he drew back and slit Satoshi's throat.

That's when Satoshi's body despursed in a cloud of smoke. A hole in the ground was the only thing left in his place. Both brothers exchanged mirrored looks before glancing around for any sign of Satoshi. Said Shinobi used this opportunity to appear behind them and perform a few seals.

"Katon: Kasairyuu no Jutsu!"

He slammed his fists against that ground. The ground shook and cracked, opening up to reveal the magma underneath that was surging upwards. One of the brothers fell in - his agonized screams were the last thing his brother heard. Squeezing his eyes shut, the second brother immediately retreated before the magma bursted out of the hole, though part of his leg had been seered.

He stopped only to catch his breath, and that's when Satoshi struck. Lacing his kunai with a bit of his chakra, he threw it. The kunai pierced the brother's chest, and he fell to the ground.

Satoshi walked up to him and lifted him up by the collar of his shirt, before throwing him up against a tree.

"You'll tell me everything I want to know... unless you want to bleed to death." He growled.

The Shinobi whimpered and nodded.

"O-Of course! Just don't let me die!" He sobbed.

Satoshi smirked.

"First question: Are there any actual Akatsuki members in Konoha?"

"Yes." The Shinobi answered, before hacking up blood. Satoshi cringed. "Two of them."

Satoshi's grip tightened.

"What are their names? Where are they?" He asked.

When the Shinobi didn't answer, he loosened his grip. The Shinobi slumped forward, lifeless. Satoshi rolled his eyes in disgust and tossed aside the corpse.

During the next ten minutes, he patched up his wounds and continued to seek out the Akatsuki.

In the distance, two mysterious figures emerged. They had witnessed the fight and the deaths of their... comrades.

"So... why didn't you just kill them yourself if you knew they were useless?" One of them asked. "_He_ almost told."

"They weren't worth it. Especially not by MY hands."

"So... you just let them get killed by HIM."

"It would appear so."

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Back at _Yamanaka Flowers_, Sakura was watching over the shop, while Ino and Hinata made some deliveries. Unfortunately, while they were gone, she was left alone to argue with Naruto. The argument finally ceased when the door opened and the two girls returned.

"I can't believe you two are _still_ arguing." Ino laughed.

Sakura sighed and glanced over.

"Hey guys... and... Harumi?" She smiled awkwardly. "Didn't expect you to show up. How're you doing?"

"I'm fine, and yourself?"

"Great..." Sakura muttered, narrowing her eyes in Naruto's direction. "So, what're you doing here? I thought you had some important business to take care of elsewhere."

"Well, I _did_... however... Satoshi's taking care of that right now." She laughed. "You could say I have the day off or something..."

"I see." Sakura smiled. "Well, why don't we finish our little chat? We didn't get to do that last night because _somebody_ just _had_ to interrupt us!" She glared at Naruto, who backed away in fear.

"I already apologized!" He cried out in defense.

Sakura shook her head and rolled her eyes, before glancing back at Harumi.

"So... tell us about yourself... and Satoshi... your pasts and whatnot."

Harumi averted her gaze.

"Our... pasts?" She repeated. She shook her head. "I don't know if I should..."

Sakura pouted.

"Aww, why not?" She asked. "C'mon! You can trust us!"

Harumi sighed.

"It's a long story." She said.

Ino glanced at the clock above the door.

"We have time." She said.

Harumi sighed once more.

"Very well...I will keep it short." She replied. She took a deep breath and began. "First of all, our country isn't a very large one, so in order to compete with the others... military-wise... our country decided to focus on the quality of the Shinobi rather than the quantity. At first, they decided to do it the old-fashioned way... training children from a very young age. However, most of the time, they weren't satisfied by the number of good Shinobi. That's when they decided to try a different approach."

Ino twirled a strand of her blonde hair and yawned, indicating she was bored already.

"I don't see how this involves you or Satoshi." She said.

"I was getting to that." Harumi glared, before continuing. "When they decided to create better Shinobi, they had a very... _unique_ way of doing it. It was rather gruesome. The first part of their plan was to gather up couples from the best clans all across te country, and then move them to a different and newly founded village, where the second plan was to take place. Plan B was to make these couples conceive children and... well... I don't want to be TOO descriptive, since this is our village's secret, but..." She trailed off, trying to find the right words. "First, they would gather a good amount of medical nins... and those medic nins would inject a special medicine inside the mother's womb and perform a certain type of jutsu... this jutsu would later then alter the embryo's genes."

"Genes?" Naruto repeated. "What's genes?"

"You mean, what _are_ genes." Sakura corrected. "Genes are something your parents pass down... they determine how you look and such... like the color of your hair and eyes and skin... your physical characteristics in general..."

Harumi nodded.

"Right." She said, "So, after performing the seals and jutsus, the medic nins would then alter the embryo's genes to what they saw fit. They would give them the best characteristics from each parent, and after the baby was born, the child would start out a pretty decent and normal life... until they reached the age of five. That's when their training would begin. Basic jutsus were taught when they started to develop physically..."

"So... are you and Satoshi these children?" asked Sakura.

Harumi nodded.

"Yes." She answered. "We both went through this training, but Satoshi... being a year older... went through it before me. When we reached the age of ten, we underwent another type of training... a type of training that shaped our minds." She lowered her gaze. "This basically stripped us of any emotion... so even if we were hurt, we wouldn't acknowledge the pain. The belief is that there are two main emotions that slow down a Shinobi in battle... and therefore, they must be removed... suppressed to the point where they're almost non-existant during battle. Unfortunately, those who are unable to do so are looked down upon and considered failures."

"Did you and Satoshi manage to pass?"

"_I_ did..." Harumi replied. "Unfortunately... Satoshi didn't."

"What happened to him?"

"Those who failed the training were given a second change." She said. "_However_... it's probably one of the most brutal out there. All those who failed were paired up into groups of thirty these groups would often include friends and family, then they would be placed in an enclosed environment. For an entire year, they had to survive on their own. The objective... to kill everyone else. The last one standing is the one that passes."

The room was silent. Finally, Ino dared to open her mouth.

"So... I'm guessing Satoshi was the only survivor, right?"

"Yes," Harumi nodded, but her gaze was still on the floor, "But... he was never the same. When he was reunited with us, it was a very emotional time... but weven when I greeted him after we were seperated from each other for so long... he never showed any emotion. Ever since then, he's never really had friends, and because he failed the first test, he was treated as an outcast and shunned... no one wanted to be near him..." Harumi smiled weakly. "I honestly believe I was the only friend he ever had. No one thought Satoshi would become such a great Shinobi, but in the past six years, he's proven to exceed everyone's expectations... and now, he's the second most exceptional ninja in our entire country."

"Who's the first?" asked Naruto.

"Yours truly." Harumi smiled, motioning to herself.

"Really?" He asked, "So... you're even stronger than Satoshi?"

"I am." She nodded.

"So..." Sakura began, "Satoshi has never shown any emotion after that incident?"

"Yes." Harumi replied. "It wasn't until yesterday... he seemed angry... it might've been a bad day, but still... it gives me a little hope."

She glanced over at Hinata, who had been rather quiet throughout the conversation. She had almost forgotten the indigo-haired girl was standing there.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head.

Harumi grinned mischieviously and excused herself before dragging Ino and Sakura into the next room.

"What is it?" asked Sakura.

"Have you ever noticed that Hinata likes Naruto?" Harumi asked.

Ino snorted.

"It's certainly no secret. Everyone in the village knows that. Especially after the Chuunin Exams three years ago..."

Harumi frowned.

"You mean to tell me... that after THREE years... Naruto STILL hasn't seen it?" She asked.

Sakura nodded.

"Hey look... they're talking to each other!" Ino squealed, opening the door just a little to peer through.

Harumi and Sakura gathered around her and peered through as well.

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"Hey... Hinata?"

"Y-Yes, N-Naruto-kun?"

"When Sakura comes back and asks where I went, can you tell her I'm at the hospital? I'm gonna visit Kakash-sensei."

With that, he took his leave.

Once he was gone and out of earshot, Harumi stormed into the room and grasped Hinata by the shoulders.

"Why did you just let him leave like that?" She shouted. "Why did you think I left you alone with him?"

"I... I d-didn't k-know... I-I had t-to s-say s-something to h-him..." Hinata stammered.

Harumi sighed and slapped her forehead.

"Oh yeah... I forgot how nervous you get around him..." She paused to think for a minute. "I have an idea." She forced Hinata to look her in the face. "You are going to make him lunch and invite him on a picnic." She stuck out her tongue in a playful manner. "They say the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

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End file.
